Jonathan Di Bella Named ONE Championship’s 2025 Kickboxer Of The Year
Jonathan Di Bella entered 2025 with revenge on his mind, and he couldn’t have executed it any better.
The Italian-Canadian superstar beat a pair of living legends to regain, and then later unify, the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title.
As a result, the 29-year-old has earned the accolade for ONE Championship’s Kickboxer of the Year.
Di Bella stepped into the year fresh off a striking masterclass against Rui Botelho in December 2024, a morale-boosting win following his razor-close World Title loss to Thai megastar Prajanchai PK Saenchai just six months prior.
The road back to 26 pounds of gold was far from easy, though.
Montreal’s finest kicked off 2025 by facing former two-sport, two-division ONE World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for the ONE Interim Strawweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE 172 in Japan’s Saitama Super Arena this past March.
Di Bella had been a longtime fan of Sam-A, who claimed the division’s inaugural crown in 2019. But even though the Montreal native admired the living legend for a long time, he set those feelings aside and showed no mercy in his “dream fight.”
In the first few rounds, the Italian-Canadian dynamo set a fast pace and lit up his 42-year-old rival with a stiff jab, powerful hooks, tenderizing body shots, and punishing calf kicks.
The Thai icon had his moments throughout the five-round battle, but he was unable to match Di Bella’s output. When the final bell sounded, all three judges awarded the Italian-Canadian slugger the unanimous decision victory and the interim belt.
Di Bella’s triumph that night in the Japanese capital was validation that he had evolved into a more complete striker.
The statement-making performance booked him a ticket to a hotly anticipated rematch with the only man to ever defeat him – two-sport ONE World Champion Prajanchai.
That World Title unification bout served as the main event for ONE Fight Night 36 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium this past October.
But there was more on the line than the undisputed ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship. The two warriors were battling for pride, glory, and all the intangibles that come with owning the coveted 26 pounds of gold.
Once the opening bell sounded, Di Bella came out firing with precision and purpose. He set a relentless pace from the first exchange, as he landed crisp jabs, straight left punches, and fierce leg kicks that disrupted the Thai’s rhythm early.
The Montreal native’s sharp footwork and lightning-fast combinations proved difficult for even Prajanchai’s high fight-IQ to solve as the match progressed.
However, the defending king refused to surrender his throne easily. The 31-year-old pushed hard in the championship rounds with creative combinations.
But Di Bella’s conditioning and output never wavered. He mixed brilliant counters with airtight defense, weathered Prajanchai’s most dangerous storms, and finished strong in the closing moments of the battle.
When the final bell sounded, all three judges agreed – the Italian-Canadian star had done enough to earn the unanimous decision victory and unify the gold.
To make matters sweeter, he left the “Madison Square Garden of the East” with a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
The 2025 Kickboxer of the Year award is a fitting recognition for Di Bella, who has proven to be one of the sport’s most technically gifted strikers.
As 2026 approaches, he stands at the pinnacle of ONE Championship’s strawweight kickboxing division with the appetite to take his career to even greater heights.
For now, though, the undisputed ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion can reflect on a 2025 that has been nothing short of spectacular.
